Looking for fish with personality, any suggestions?

corals4life

New member
I currently have a 60 gallon, coral only set up.

I'm researching fish right now and I would like to get some fish with personality. I read that the tail spot blenny is described to have "perching" behavior. Do you know of any other fish that I may be interested, that would be ok in a 60 gallon tank?

TIA
 
Yellow Watchman Goby,Mandarin Dragonet,a couple Spotted Cardinals, Flame Hawkfish(if you dont plan on having shrimp), a leopard wrasse of some sort.
 
Dwarf lionfish are about as personable as they come...they're like aquatic puppy dogs always begging for a treat...some even learn to spit water at you to get your attention, or if you're a bit tardy getting their food into the tank.

They're hardy, and come in colors...red, brown, yellow, or any combo thereof. They pay no attention to corals, but will eat ornamental crustaceans, altho hermits are fine, as are snails for a CUC.

Oh, and they only need to be fed 3x a week or so.
 
Dwarf lionfish are about as personable as they come...they're like aquatic puppy dogs always begging for a treat...some even learn to spit water at you to get your attention, or if you're a bit tardy getting their food into the tank.

They're hardy, and come in colors...red, brown, yellow, or any combo thereof. They pay no attention to corals, but will eat ornamental crustaceans, altho hermits are fine, as are snails for a CUC.

Oh, and they only need to be fed 3x a week or so.

I sure agree; I love the feeling of power I get every time I make them beg for food. Bwahahahaha! Mombasas have become my favorite small lion. They do eat small fish and i think its best to make any lion the main fish, with tankmates selected with the lion in mind.
 
blennies are great fish to watch, bicolor and midas, even the lawnmower blennies are cool.

jawfish are super cool too, but you need to have a decent sand bed for them to burrow into. they will dig a hole then just hang out hovering over it vertically watching around every thing.

pistol shrimp and a watchman goby are a cool addition too, but also require a sand bed to burrow.

what do you look for in a fish personality? something just fun and entertaining? or something that moves around alot? or something quirky and weird?
 
Blennies are fun - dashing around from rock to ledge to hole, perching and watching. They can take a while to come out of their shell.

Can't go wrong with a pair of tank raised occilaris clownfish. They are used to people, and like dogs when it comes to feeding time. Their pairing/courting/breeding behavior is interesting to watch. They are also the ultimate in "responsible" fish, as they breed easily in captivity, and seem just as happy in a small tank as the ocean - anenome or no.

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If you have the sandbed for it, jawfish are absolutely hilarious. Everyone in my family loves ours. Also, Toby Puffers, though not totally reef safe, are incredibly personable.

Everyone's welcome to their opinion, but of the above listed fish, I don't think yellow coris wrasses or leopard wrasses have much in the way of personality. Rather skittish and "in their own world" in my opinion. That doesn't mean they don't exhibit fascination behaviors.

I would agree that the Royal Gramma is a beautiful, hardy and personable fish. Mine comes to the glass and just sort of stares at me.

Good luck with your tank.
 
Bennies are the best imo - seriously, how can anyone resist a fish w/ eyebrows??? The only thing it won't do is bark. You've got plenty of great suggestions above!
 
Clown gobies are a whole lot of personality in a teeny package. I had one four or five years back that lived in a fox coral. He wouldn't let anyone near his coral and spent much of his day 'checking' things, like a little dog sniffing all over his territory.

Clowns are also fun, especially in pairs. Blennies are sweet little fish, with fun faces, and there are loads of gobies out there that will make you smile daily with their silly antics. A pistol shrimp and goby pair will provide endless entertainment, they spend their days renovating and protecting their caves. Damsels are often overlooked when it comes to antics; I've seen a 1.5" damsel move a large shell from one side of a big tank to the other, they're loads of fun. I guess there are quite a few amusing fish out there to choose from! :)
 
My bicolor blenny is probably the most interesting always into every little hole he can find. Just added a cherub angel very beautiful and swims everywhere very neat fish.
 
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